Help Me Decide ~ Babalot ~ Pure Aero Plus VS Pure Drive Plus ?!

LaZeR

LaZeR

Professional
Dear Fellow Tennis Players,

Could you help me decide between Babalot - Pure Aero Plus VERSUS Pure Drive Plus?

It seems like there are very few significant differences.

Any other comments & opinions are very much appreciated & welcome.

THANKS!! Compare Link PS >>> right now I play Wilson Blade 104.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/33i74p9si6q8fvg/PureAero VS PureDrive.jpg?dl=0

Name / Babolat Pure Aero Plus / Babolat Pure Drive Plus
Weight / 11.30oz / 320g / 11.20oz / 318g
Swing Weight /333 / 325
Stiffness / 69 / 70
 
Can you elobarate why you want to change? Are you looking for more power/spin/stability? What is your play style (flat or topspin)
 
mrtrinh said:
Can you elobarate why you want to change? Are you looking for more power/spin/stability? What is your play style (flat or topspin)
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Not exactly any of the above ~ my current racquet feels a bit sluggish IMO and this is what I want: 1) a bit more stiffness so 69 on the Pure Aero seems OK whereas the Pure Drive is 70 and I'd prefer to NOT go that high, and 2) more aerodynamics which apparently is incorporated in the Pure Aero design. Thanks Again!!

PS >>> I strive for topspin but like all players solid flat shots always feel pretty satisfying :cool:
 
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IOMLS said:
So many choices out there, why limit it to Pure Aero v Pure Drive Plus?
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I liked how the AeroPro Drive played however this was many years ago, and now they have the "Plus" (name change to Pure Aero) which matches my current racquet, and I'd like to hear from Pure Drive players. Do you have other suggestions?
 
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I would always recommend demoing before anything, but I'd recommend the PD+ given the SW on the current blade104 is 318. The PD+ is roughly 325sw while the PA+ is 333SW
 
The Pure Drive and Pure Aero's aren't a whole lot less sluggish than a Blade. Unless you start going Team or Lite.

My suggestion to people that complain about sluggishness is to get stronger. No pro uses a light retail version tweener. They are all adjusted to be significantly heavier than retail frames.

Old fogey's like myself played with wooden rackets weighing 14 oz and never complained about sluggishness. And we had to walk 5 miles to the tennis courts to play... uphill.... both ways!

I've played extensively with Aeropro Drives, Pure Drives and Blade 104's the last 2 years before deciding to switch to a softer frame for health reasons. The Pure Drive was the best serving racket by far. The Blade was the most stable racket for RoS and 2HBH's were great. The Aeropro produced the most spin but could get pushed around a bit. Both the Aeropro and PD were horrible on my arm. The Blade was slightly better. The Phantom is awesome even though it does nothing better than the other rackets but keeps me on the court playing.
 
Dartagnan64 said:
The Pure Drive and Pure Aero's aren't a whole lot less sluggish than a Blade. My suggestion to people that complain about sluggishness is to get stronger.
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Agree ~ folks certainly need to go to the gym & work out ~ but the entire Pure Aero line since inception has afforded an aerodynamic design incorporated into the build, hence the old name AND new, and IMO this has an impact on a seemingly sluggish perception. The racquets pretty much swish & cut through the air. I don't know any other tennis racquet manufacturers that offer this.

Dartagnan64 said:
I've played extensively with Aeropro Drives, Pure Drives and Blade 104's the last 2 years before deciding to switch to a softer frame for health reasons.
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Don't quite get this > in terms of advanced racquets the Blade 104 has one of the softest frames available!?

Dartagnan64 said:
The Blade was the most stable racket for RoS and 2HBH's were great. Both the Aeropro and PD were horrible on my arm. The Blade was slightly better. ...
Click to expand...
I think my heart is set on the Pure Aero Plus for reasons stated in this thread but keeping the Blade 104 in my bag as secondary due exactly to the reasons you cite: a) JUST IN CASE there's any arm issues, and b) playing against less advanced players and women who hate it when men hit hard.

ALSO, if you brush up on your strokes, loosen string tension, and do some other things, then the Aeropro and PD ain't so bad.

Dartagnan64 said:
Old fogey's like myself played with wooden rackets weighing 14 oz and never complained about sluggishness. And we had to walk 5 miles to the tennis courts to play... uphill.... both ways!
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LOL guess this encompasses the beauty of tennis :cool:
 
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LaZeR said:
Dear Fellow Tennis Players,

Could you help me decide between Babalot - Pure Aero Plus VERSUS Pure Drive Plus?

It seems like there are very few significant differences.

Any other comments & opinions are very much appreciated & welcome.

THANKS!! Compare Link PS >>> right now I play Wilson Blade 104.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/33i74p9si6q8fvg/PureAero VS PureDrive.jpg?dl=0

Name / Babolat Pure Aero Plus / Babolat Pure Drive Plus
Weight / 11.30oz / 320g / 11.20oz / 318g
Swing Weight /333 / 325
Stiffness / 69 / 70
Click to expand...
My two cents is to add 20-30g at the 7” point above the butt cap with poster putty or blutak before giving up on the blade. It may make it less sluggish
 
Pure Aero plus is fantastic. I have one up for sale, but I may pull it down and just keep using it. I was considering a switch to the PD Tour + just to get a little tighter string spacing and a little more static weight, but the PA+'s only real annoyance to me is restringing a lot. I have since acquired a Phantom 93, so I don't use the PA+ full time, so that's not really an issue.
 
LaZeR said:
Don't quite get this > in terms of advanced racquets the Blade 104 has one of the softest frames available!?
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Dartagnan64 said:
SW model. Not that soft. Better than a Pure Drive but nothing like a Prince Tour or phantom
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Ohhhh OK ~ didn't know you meant the Wilson Blade SW104 Autograph Countervail. YES ~ the stiffness of this racquet approaches that of the Babalot APD and PD.

The Blade SW104 Countervail WAS on my list for a long time but it doesn't get the greatest reviews for what I want, hence I settled for the Pure Aero Plus.
 
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LaZeR said:
@ Power Player ~ with the Pure Aero PLUS do you notice a difference from other racquets wrt aerodynamics?
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Not really, but I do find the PA Plus rather easy to swing compared to other Plus length models.I think the lighter weight and higher SW is a nice combo for extended frames.

Tip speed is not a problem with the PA plus. And you will want a good amount since it has a lot of pop off the stringbed.
 
The 2 racquets you're considering are virtually interchangeable now that the '18 PD has opened up the string spacing similar to the Aero. If you want increased aerodynamics, go with the Aero as that's the primary design difference between the 2 frames. When choosing between those 2, it really comes down to preference in throat design and feel. I've always preferred the Aero over the PD but I could play either with little to no adjustment. As an aside, the Aero's and PD's, standard or plus, play great in stock form as do the Tour versions. Common advice on the forums is to set your stick up like a top 100 ATP player. That very well may be appropriate for some but there are plenty of people playing tennis at a high standard with off the rack Aero's, PD's, Strikes, Blades Radicals, etc.
 
RobS said:
The 2 racquets you're considering are virtually interchangeable now that the '18 PD has opened up the string spacing similar to the Aero. If you want increased aerodynamics, go with the Aero as that's the primary design difference between the 2 frames. When choosing between those 2, it really comes down to preference in throat design and feel. I've always preferred the Aero over the PD but I could play either with little to no adjustment. As an aside, the Aero's and PD's, standard or plus, play great in stock form as do the Tour versions. Common advice on the forums is to set your stick up like a top 100 ATP player. That very well may be appropriate for some but there are plenty of people playing tennis at a high standard with off the rack Aero's, PD's, Strikes, Blades Radicals, etc.
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Yeah, pretty much agree with all of this. I play mine stock. I did add a little lead in the throat to get the frame a bit heavier for a while, but it didn't make a huge difference for me. It is a good mod though for anyone who wants to make the frame heavier.

Also, have had zero issues with arm health after a year of the PA+. I have dealt with some wrist issues n the past, but luckily those seem to have gone away.
 
Can you guys let me know what YEAR you purchased your Pure Aero Plus?

Has the Pure Aero + changed at all since 2016? THANKS!!
 
Power Player said:
Yeah, pretty much agree with all of this. I play mine stock. I did add a little lead in the throat to get the frame a bit heavier for a while, but it didn't make a huge difference for me. It is a good mod though for anyone who wants to make the frame heavier.

Also, have had zero issues with arm health after a year of the PA+. I have dealt with some wrist issues n the past, but luckily those seem to have gone away.
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How old are you? My arm was bulletproof until I hit 50, then wrist things and TE started sneaking up on me.

I think it's certainly possible to play for a long time with a PA+ if you are a) younger and/or b) hit out front and on the sweet spot consistently. I think if you are older and inconsistent in your technique, you are asking for trouble with Babolat stiffies.
 
Dartagnan64 said:
How old are you? My arm was bulletproof until I hit 50, then wrist things and TE started sneaking up on me.

I think it's certainly possible to play for a long time with a PA+ if you are a) younger and/or b) hit out front and on the sweet spot consistently. I think if you are older and inconsistent in your technique, you are asking for trouble with Babolat stiffies.
Click to expand...

How long have you been playing? I started at 7. I just played with a guy who was in his early 60's, had awesome technique and used a Pure Drive.
 
SORRY for all the questions... If I've been playing with the old Blade at RDC = 60, should I START OFF playing the PureAero+ with Natural Gut mains (current stringbed hybrid with smooth, soft, round (co)Poly crosses), or are mains with Poly at 46lbs to 50lbs OK?

Also, at what tension do you string up the PA+ with Poly on mains? THANKS AGAIN!!

Any other comments, opinions, recommendations welcome!!
 
I personally use the same string in everything - RS Lyon 17. I string the Bab at 52#s. Feels great for a tweener, plays great.

Its never going to feel like a classic frame or anything, but the crisp response does help since the sweet spot is so huge.
 
Power Player said:
Yeah, pretty much agree with all of this. I play mine stock. I did add a little lead in the throat to get the frame a bit heavier for a while, but it didn't make a huge difference for me. It is a good mod though for anyone who wants to make the frame heavier.

Also, have had zero issues with arm health after a year of the PA+. I have dealt with some wrist issues n the past, but luckily those seem to have gone away.
Click to expand...

I initially stayed away from Babolat after reading stories of TE. After a demo of the '13 APD, I liked it enough to take a chance. Since then, I've played a variety of Aero's and Pure Drives, standard, plus and tour with no issues. Currently play the Pure Aero Tour, full poly, and find it to be reasonably comfortable. It's not a classic Head or Prince graphite level of comfort but I'm not in need of ice or Advil.
 
If you tried aeropro drive few years ago string spacing is significantly different now and mold slightly slimmer. imho new one requires even higher swing speed and make sure you buy a stringer with your new pure aero too because you will be restringing much much more often...
 
You should try yonex offerings in the tweener space...much easier transition from your blades low stiffness...

Try dr98 new ezone 98 and ditto for ezone 100 and sv line...
 
LaZeR said:
SORRY for all the questions... If I've been playing with the old Blade at RDC = 60, should I START OFF playing the PureAero+ with Natural Gut mains (current stringbed hybrid with smooth, soft, round (co)Poly crosses), or are mains with Poly at 46lbs to 50lbs OK?

Also, at what tension do you string up the PA+ with Poly on mains? THANKS AGAIN!!

Any other comments, opinions, recommendations welcome!!
Click to expand...

I'd start by stringing the PA+ the same way you set up your Blade and tweak from there if needed. I've always strung my Aero's and Pure Drives at 50lbs give or take 2lbs depending on the string. My personal preference is full poly.
 
dgoran said:
You should try yonex offerings in the tweener space...much easier transition from your blades low stiffness... Try dr98 new ezone 98 and ditto for ezone 100 and sv line...
Click to expand...
Nice Post!! I played with Yonex literally for years a long time ago (and also Babalot AeroPro Team for a while) however Yonex is my NEXT racquet > comes later on my list. Narrowed things down to Yonex EZONE DR 100+ (Blue) OR Yonex VCORE SV 100+.
 
dgoran said:
How about tecnifibre ?
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Tecnifibre is around the same level as Pro Kennex, both of whom by the way offer EXCELLENT performance & playability, while at the same time saving tons of moola $$$, BUT the big name brands afford greater access to long term reliability, build quality, maintenance, parts, warranty issues, etc.
 
LaZeR said:
Tecnifibre is around the same level as Pro Kennex, both of whom by the way offer EXCELLENT performance & playability, while at the same time saving tons of moola $$$, BUT the big name brands afford greater access to long term reliability, build quality, maintenance, parts, warranty issues, etc.
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It’s not a car...you won’t get any support from anyone except from the retail location you bought it from so pick your pro shop carefully :-)
 
dgoran said:
It’s not a car...you won’t get any support from anyone except from the retail location you bought it from so pick your pro shop carefully :)
Click to expand...
Correct - the first point of contact is always the Authorized Dealer tennis shop you purchased at ~ however I have Babalot, Wilson, Yonex, LOCAL distributor Contact Info including Warranty, Sales, Marketing, etc, in both USA & Canada. Some of them tend to often be quite accomodating. :cool:

PS >>> isn't it better to remove the "Amateur" part in your Signature? Thanks for reminding me ~ I should NOW include Babalot Pure Aero in my sig! lol
 
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Power Player said:
How long have you been playing? I started at 7. I just played with a guy who was in his early 60's, had awesome technique and used a Pure Drive.
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yes I think technique is a huge factor in whether you can handle stiff rackets. I played racketball and squash and very little tennis in my younger years, so my tennis technique is adversely influenced by those sports. I also required shoulder reconstruction at age 20 leading to my overhead strokes being overly dependent on forearm and core muscles leading to some excessive strain.

I think using people in their 60's as examples is flawed reasoning. You may be looking at survivors bias. Every 50 year old that got bad TE from their Babolats has been weeded out and given up the sport leaving only the strong surviving.

In my peer group of mostly 40-60 year old men, many have had arm problems and virtually all used stiff rackets and poly strings when the arm issues showed up. These are people in the 3.0-4.0 range with imperfect technique, prone to hit late and hit frames. So I suspect having a good arm structure and good technique buys you a lot of protection from the stiffness of rackets, but I think that's not as large a group as the imperfect technicians out there wrecking their arms trying to be the next Nadal.

But I played for 5 years with an Aeropro and never noticed anything suggesting discomfort. I would have been like you, blaming technique for TE. Now I play with the racket and I can tell how different it is from my Phantom and how much each stroke gives harsh feedback to my arm.
 
RobS said:
I'd start by stringing the PA+ the same way you set up your Blade and tweak from there if needed. I've always strung my Aero's and Pure Drives at 50lbs give or take 2lbs depending on the string. My personal preference is full poly.
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Sounds good ~ think I'll start with Natural Gut @ 50//Poly @ 46, then when I adapt & get comfortable with the racquet move to (co)Poly mains @ 46. THANKS!!
 
Yep thats all im saying. The guys who grew up playing have the technique to hit the ball loose and relaxed. Thats super important,imo. It takes forever to learn to play that way and it saves your body and arm. Not always, but the % is higher.
 
Power Player said:
... The guys who grew up playing have the technique to hit the ball loose and relaxed. Thats super important,imo. It takes forever to learn to play that way and it saves your body and arm. Not always, but the % is higher.
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Ya but you gotta factor in ANXIETY during matches which leads to > taking your eye off the ball and NOT brushing up on strokes, which leads to > mishits and shanking, all of which leads to > destruction of your game, arm issues, and optimal health.

Consider what happens to Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, MOST RECENTLY Nick Kyrgios, and other pros who grew up playing tennis, and practice every day for hours.
 
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Power Player said:
Yep thats all im saying. The guys who grew up playing have the technique to hit the ball loose and relaxed. Thats super important,imo. It takes forever to learn to play that way and it saves your body and arm. Not always, but the % is higher.
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I agree. But I also think that eventually things can catch up to you as you age and even those that hit with great technique can injure their arms. Not all will. But certainly some will.

Tennis is a collision sport. You want to minimize the forces from that collision in as many ways as possible, ideally. Sure you may get away with stiff rackets and poly strings if you have great technique. But you may not. Some may be willing to take that chance in order to improve performance. Others, especially those that have had extensive layoffs due to arm issues, are less likely to take those risks.

Of course I also think people should limit their hard court exposure and play on natural surfaces more often, but no one takes my advice there until they need that hip or knee replacement.
 
Dartagnan64 said:
... Some may be willing to take that chance in order to improve performance. Others, especially those that have had extensive layoffs due to arm issues, are less likely to take those risks. ...
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Yep I certainly fall in the RISK Category! :cool: (ALSO risking that this NEWerISH version of the AeroPro Drive + might be worth it).
 
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